Coffin of slain Iranian supreme leader arrives in Iraq’s Najaf, Iraqi state TV says

NECEF, July 7 (Reuters) – The coffin of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Tuesday, following funeral ceremonies in Iran and a multi-day procession to one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam after the leader was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28.

According to state television, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and senior Iraqi officials received the coffin at Najaf International Airport before the funeral ceremonies and mass march.

Najaf has special significance for Shiites worldwide as it is the burial place of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also came to Najaf to attend the ceremonies.

The official reception at the airport was attended by Iraqi political leaders and Shiite religious figures, after which the coffin was carried through the city on Wednesday for public mourning events expected to draw large crowds.

The state-organized funeral ceremonies in Iran, which started on Friday, were designed by the Islamic Republic as both a religious commemoration and a sign of continuity following the death of the leader who ruled Iran for nearly four decades.

The convoy moved from Tehran towards the Shiite theological city of Qom before arriving in Iraq.

Iraqi authorities tightened security around Najaf ahead of their arrival, as many mourners traveled from Iraq and neighboring countries.

The parade will continue towards the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala before the coffin returns to Iran for burial in Mashhad this week.

(Reporting by Reuters in Najaf; Additional reporting by Muayad Hameed and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Nia Williams and Sanjeev Miglani)